1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to motorcycle sidecars for handicapped persons, and more particularly, to sidecars having steering controls positioned in front of the drive in the sidecar so that the handicapped driver can safely operate the motorcycle from the sidecar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various apparatus for enabling paraplegics to drive motor vehicles from place to place are known. For example, accessories for enabling a paraplegic to drive an automobile by means of hand controls for activating the accelerator and brakes are well known. However, the handicapped person must (with a considerable amount of effort, inconvenience, and risk) shift himself out of the wheelchair into the driver's seat of the automobile, bracing and supporting himself precariously, as well as he is able, by grasping the open automobile door, the automobile seat and/or the steering wheel. He must then, while seated in the driver's seat, fold the wheelchair and load it into the automobile behind the driver's seat. This is a difficult and hazardous procedure, especially for paraplegics who are older, overweight, or who do not have acceptionally strong arms and shoulders. There is a great need for an economical means to allow persons not having use of their legs and confined to wheelchairs to conveniently make trips from place to place without having to go through the above procedures.
Various specialized vehicles for accommodating persons seated in wheelchairs are known, such as the vehicle disposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,791. Various motorized wheelchair arrangements are also known, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,550. However, neither of the latter two patents disclose practical vehicles which would fill the needs described above. Various sidecars for motorcycles and bicycles are known, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,398,493; 1,824,675; 1,784,746; 1,223,173. U.S. Pat. No. 1,231,163 discloses a motorcycle sidecar with controls therein, one of the motorcycle handlebars extending so that it can be controlled by a driver seated in the sidecar. U.S. Pat. No. 1,398,493 discloses a bicycle with a sidecar connected so that the bicycle can be operated by people incapable of using their legs. Other patents indicating the state of the art include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,964,564; 1,036,396; and 854,432. Side cars with flat platforms which can accommodate a wheelchair and having a gear shifting linkage extending to the sidecar are also known. However, no sidecar attachable to a conventional motorcycle and having a steering mechanism or the other necessary controls for operating a motorcycle located within convenient reach of a driver seated in a wheelchair in that sidecar is known.